In Germany this would have been a comedy, but here in the US it is a nifty little (80 minutes) crazy landlord horror movie that perhaps wouldn't be out of place in Cinemax's "Masters of Horror" series. Elements of it feel a bit like a sketch for a more conventional plot driven horror movie, with the director feeling out what works and doesn't while indulging in silliness and tour de force-ery. As such, it is not quite a masterpiece but is a unique demented and enjoyable 80's slasher flick that has some elements of dark humor, particularly the Striesand wanna be bimbo singer-pianist who's well honed soft rock balladrey gets it's just rewards soon enough.
Klaus Kinski, most reknown for his stellar performance in Herzogs "Aquirre", is note perfect and more or less slumming it here but is much appreciated by me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7mL_3yUYy0
Is it? I keep meaning to check it out on IFC whenever they show it as I don't think its been released on DVD. (Besides the double-feature with "The Attic" which I'm pretty sure is out-of-print.)
that's the one I rented from netflix, though I decided against watching the Attic as I had rented a bunch of other stuff.
Crawlspace isn't exactly a "classic" but is more enjoyable than many much more venerated flicks. and there is an actual crawlspace that figures prominently in the plot, it's not like some artsy title. that's what I like about the 80's, very straightforward.
i saw this at the drivein,loved it!gotta check netflix,bye!
I can't help but watch anything Kinski is involved in, he's a total guilty pleasure...
I always remember seeing this on the shelf at the video store when I was a kid but never rented it.
I've heard from several other people that it's pretty good so I may have to check it out.
That scene of Kinski rolling through the air vent on a car creeper was hilarious! :teddyr:
Quick reviews of the Crawlspace/The Attic DVD:
The Attic
Well, that just kept on going didn't it.
The Attic is a not very good movie in a string of not very good movies with Ray Milland. This time he is the Momma to Carrie Snodgress' Owen, lording over his mousy librarian of a daughter as she laments for her one lost love. Overall, it's a fairly weak movie with pretty much no story. It would have worked well as a half-hour television show, but as a movie it's just too long and padded for time.
Also, apparently in 1980 you could buy a chimp for $150.95 from any pet store.
I do remember seeing a pretty cool poster for this film a while back on eBay, while I was searching for evil clapping toy monkeys. If only the film had lived up to the promise of that image (which I can't seem to find now).
Two out of five slimes.
Crawlspace
I kind of had my hopes up for this one, but it was a fairly low-key entry from the eighties. Kinski isn't quite as crazy in this one as I've seen him, but the situation is pretty bizarre, what with Kinski's crazy Nazi obsession and his concentration camp victim. How low was the budget? We have the promise of all sorts of crazy killing machines but in actuality don't really get to see any of them. The ladies who rent the place all get killed offscreen.
I certainly liked it more than The Attic, but that's not saying much. Might be worth your while.
Three out of five slimes.
Anybody remember the 1972 made-for -TV movie, with Arthur Kennedy and Teresa Wright, CRAWLSPACE?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066954/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066954/)
I remember the 1972 made-for-tv Crawlspace: that one was creepy. It has been a while, but I know I kept wondering, "Why are these people doing this?" It had a weird inevitability to it. In the sense of "These people are doomed".
I really like Crawlspace. Has been a fave for the longest. On a sidenote, it makes for a fun double feature along with the cheesy Mountaintop Motel Massacre (1986). :thumbup: